An Unending Quiet
by yesterdayschild4
Summary: Claire comes back broken and Charlie will do anything to protect her and her son... even if it means leaving the island. Rated for mild sex in later chapters.
1. I Wish I Had Someone To Love Me

**Title:** An Unending Quiet

**Author: **Edith

**Part:** 1/?

**Rating: **This part is PG-13, but it's going to end up being rated R. :)

**Pairing: **Charlie/Claire, with implied Shannon/Sawyer and Jack/Kate

**Summary: **Claire comes back broken and Charlie will do anything to keep her and the baby safe… even if it means leaving the island.

**Spoilers:** All the way up to "All The Best..."

**Disclaimer: **Lost isn't mine. The song "I Wish I Had Someone To Love Me" is by The Masterless Men and I just picked it apart mercilessly to use as chapter titles. :)

Thanks to everybody who reviewed this originally. However, something went wonky with it and I had to erase it and repost it but I **did** read them and thank you so much. :)

**Part One: I Wish I Had Someone To Love Me**

Charlie had given Claire a necklace when she had… returned home. It was not much, simple really. A string of pretty shells laced together with a piece of twine. He had painted a few of them shades of gentle pinks and blues from a kit he'd found in the luggage. He'd made one for the baby too, although he'd admitted with a blush that if might be a bit on the girly side for a little boy.

In the dark of her cave, Claire ran her finger nail over the contours of the shells and sighed. It had been almost two weeks since they'd rescued her, but it felt much longer. Every minute felt like years and she had never felt more aware in her whole entire life. Everything strange was a threat. Every new person she met was the enemy. It was a change for her, since she'd always been so open and trusting, but that was a mistake she couldn't afford to make again.

Accordingly, her eyes drifted over to James, who was sleeping snuggled all up in one of her old sweatshirts. Her heart tightened and she felt herself tear up. She couldn't resist lifting the baby, cuddling him to her breast gently. He made a sleepy noise and pillowed his head against her breast.

Claire looked past him, staring into the darkness with an animal alertness. Her shelter was completely empty, save for the two of them and possibly a few spiders. She could hear the others out by the fire. Jack was talking to Kate in a low murmur and she could just make out Walt's excited tone as he babbled to Locke. Sayid, who had moved off of the beach upon her return, was on sentry duty, standing alert outside the entrance of her nook.

She knew she had Sayid to thank for so much. It was his military experience they'd drawn on to enter the underground bunker she'd been kept in for the whole three weeks of her captivity. He'd planned the whole organization, from who stayed on watch (Charlie, due to the bruised ribs he'd suffered, Jack, who was to important to risk, and Boone) to who actually entered the compound, the "brawn of the beach" Charlie called them, with an affectionate scorn.

She knew she would never forget how she'd felt when Sayid had burst into her room, followed by Jin, Sawyer, and Kate, who was cradling her son with a natural gentleness. Claire had been kept in good nutrition, as her main purpose was to nurse her son and she needed to be healthy for that, but giving birth in such primitive conditions- and blindfolded, no less- had left her weak. Sayid had carried her out, surprisingly without incident. She would learn later that they had only encountered Ethan, who Sayid had dispatched with a well placed blow from the US Marshal's pistol. All she knew at the time, however, was that they were her saviors.

Charlie had taken over once they were out. He had immediately lifted her out of Sayid's arms and carried her home, the pain in his ribs be damned. She had passed out somewhere along the walk, but she remembered nothing but a huge all encompassing sense of relief at seeing him alive and well.

Sighing, she laid her baby back down on her sleeping mat and tried to settle in herself. She was just about to doze off when a noise by the mouth of the cave jerked her awake. She sat up quickly, afraid but filled with a righteous maternal rage. When she saw who it was, she relaxed and leaned back down.

"Sorry," Charlie mumbled, stooping low to enter her nook. He crawled over to her and sat down beside her, reaching over her to cup James's cheek. "Didn't mean to wake you."

Claire shook her head and smiled at him. He understood her silence, better than anybody else here, she thought. Jack had tried his hardest to cure it, prodding down her throat with a spoon to determine if there was any actual nerve damage. Her eyes had watered, she had gagged, and Charlie had threatened to kill him if Claire had to go through anything else on top of everything. She didn't talk anymore, Charlie had said, and that was just that, thank you very much. Jack had sighed and written it off as post traumatic stress. She needed a shrink, he'd said, not a doctor.

Claire knew what she needed and it wasn't a psychologist. It was _him_ with his funny stories and his own understanding quiet. She smiled at him again and patted the mat beside her.

Obligingly he moved closer and tickled at her knees until she giggled in an odd soundless whoosh of breath. Charlie basked in that and had to work hard to swallow the lump in his throat. Seeing Sayid carry Claire out of that horrible place had been the crowning moment in his life. When he had held her himself, the weight of her in his arms was sheer beauty. Her hair had tickled at his nose and he had called on everything in him not to cry at the wonder of it all. Claire was back with him and this time, he'd see to her continued safety, even if he had to lay down his life for her.

Again.

Trying to lighten the mood, he joked, "Bunch of loud buggers, aren't they? Showing no respect for the new mum and her little one."

She nodded, a teasing spark flying across her eyes. Using her right hand, she clapped her thumb against all four of her other fingers, trying to imitate a mouth. Charlie laughed and bobbed his head, encouragingly.

"That's right. All they do is jabber! Bloody ridiculous, if you ask me. You should see them out there, Claire! Jack is making an absolute prat of himself, falling all over Kate." At her questioning look, he added, "She's up visiting from the beach. Talking about moving up here too, actually. A lot of them are. Don't feel safe divided up."

She could understand that. Looking away from Charlie, she scooped up James again. Once he was cradled in the circle of her arms, she again faced him. She was so wide eyed and innocent looking that he had to swallow, hard. Carefully, he opened his arms and pulled her into his embrace, so that she and the baby sat between his legs. She leaned back and scooted around until she was comfortable.

"Better?" he asked.

Claire nodded, her hair tickling at his nose. He rested his cheek atop her head and held her. She felt herself begin to relax in the familiarity of him. The material of his jeans was rough against her legs, but pleasant, and everything about him felt so warm and… safe. Groping for his hand, she clasped it within her own and snuggled in even deeper.

"Want me to stay until you fall asleep?"

She concurred with a jerk of her head and shut her eyes. Charlie pulled her closer still and, with his free hand, gently stroked his way over her son's face. Humming softly, he kept his grip on her hand steady. Just before sleep claimed her, she heard Charlie sigh and murmur something into her hair that sounded strangely like home.


	2. Someone To Call Me Their Own

Title: An Unending Quiet  
Author: Edith  
Part: 2/? (I'm thinking four)  
Rating: This part is PG-13, but it's going to end up being rated R. :)  
Pairing: Charlie/Claire, with implied Shannon/Sawyer and Jack/Kate  
Summary: Claire comes back broken and Charlie will do anything to keep her and the baby safe... even if it means leaving the island.  
Spoilers: Up to "All The Best..." and then it's just speculation.  
Disclaimer: Sadly, not mine. Otherwise, Lost would have a lot more sex. ;) Also borrowed the song "I Wish I Had Someone To Love Me" by The Masterless Men.

Oh, and Citronella, this _Chahlie_ reference is for you and your accent loving! Thanks for the review.

**Part Two: Someone To Call Me Their Own**

When Claire woke up, it was Shannon who was leaning over her, a skeptical look on her face. This gave Claire a shock, and she sat up quickly. A fast glance around her nook showed that Charlie was nowhere to be found and she opened her mouth to ask after him. Nothing came out but air, and she flopped her mouth at Shannon for a moment, before slamming it shut and feeling like an idiot.

Shannon sent her a pitying look and Claire felt pure unadulterated frustration well up within her. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk, it was that she _couldn't _and what bothered her the most was that nobody seemed to understand that.

Nobody that was, except for Charlie.

Trying again, she motioned at her fingers, tapping at them and attempting to indicate the tape he wore. This didn't ring a bell with Shannon and so Claire tried to demonstrate his height, while still tapping her fingers. She was loathe to use her journal to write down what she wanted to say, not wanting to waste the paper when the book was such a stress relief to her. She had already made the exception to tell her fellow survivors the name of her baby and it looked like she was going to have to do it again. Sighing, she dug it out and clearly wrote CHARLIE?

"Oh!" Shannon exclaimed, laughing, "Is _that _what you were trying to say! Jesus, Claire, you must really suck at charades."

Silence. Claire's irritation with herself escalated to new levels. Firmly, she tapped her journal again.

This time, the pretty blonde shrugged. "Down on the beach with Jack. They're taking water down or something. Who cares?"

_Why are you here?_ Claire wanted to scream. The fact that Boone and Shannon had moved up to the caves gave nothing away. As far she knew, she and Shannon weren't friends. She had had a grand total of one other conversation with her and hadn't found her to be particularly friendly, or fond of her.

Behind her, James came awake with a start and his lusty cry soon drowned out the thoughts in Claire's head. Turning around, she scooped him up and shushed him with calming strokes of her hand and butterfly kisses. She angled herself so Shannon couldn't see her, adjusted her shirt, and set James to his breakfast. Looking back over her shoulder, she arched an eyebrow at her visitor.

This signal Shannon seemed to understand. "Oh, that? I really don't mind. C'mon, Claire, it's not like we all don't have them."

This, at least, made Claire feel slightly better. She leaned back more comfortably and offered her a ghost of a smile.

"He's getting big," Shannon stated, smiling at the baby.

Claire nodded and beamed, although her joy was directed solely at her son.

Shannon seemed to remember her purpose for coming all at once. Clearing her throat, she flicked her hair over her shoulder and said, "Boone and I were going to go down to the beach to pick up some more of our stuff. I think Sayid's going to go and get his too. Anyway, we thought maybe you'd want to come… since there'd be lots of us and it would be safe." When Claire didn't respond, she added, "Or not. Whatever."

Claire bit her lip and looked around her cave. Her grip tightened on her son. To her, this cave represented safety. The walls protected her. There was only one opening and that was always watched. If she was to leave, it would be easy to swoop in and grab her son again. She'd seen it before. She'd almost lost James; she'd almost Charlie. There was no way she was about to leave the cave. With an panicked air, she shook her head at Shannon.

"Oh." Shannon seemed strangely disappointed and, for the first time really, Claire wondered just how she was getting on. She thought how sad it would be not to connect with anybody although she couldn't ignore the fact that that was partly Shannon's fault. Claire frowned.

Something in her face must have presented an opening for Shannon, because she repeated, "Sayid is coming. Boone too. I mean, c'mon. Could you find two more annoyingly chivalrous men? They're practically _begging_ to defend someone."

Claire could think of another man. Once again, she pointed at her notebook and Shannon had her leverage.

Leaning closer, Shannon put a hand on Claire's arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. She smiled her most convincingly charming smile and dropped the bomb.

"Charlie's down there getting water, remember? Think how proud of you he'll be to see you out of this damp hole! He's been really worried about you." At the arch of Claire's eyebrow, she continued. "He _has_ been. Who do you think is pushing for the guards outside your cave? He'd be out there every night himself if everybody else would let him. Go to him, Claire, and show him how fine you are! Put his mind at ease."

She had her and Claire knew it. If there was something she disliked, it was Charlie worrying after her, especially when doing so would put his own well being at risk. And she _did_ want to leave the caves. She had been craving the ocean for a good couple days. Plus with Boone and Sayid walking her, and Charlie and Jack on the beach…

Sighing, she nodded. Carefully, she adjusted her now sleeping son away from her breast so that she could smooth out her shirt. She took Shannon's hand when she offered it and let her pull her to her feet.

"Thank God!" Shannon was saying, "You should see you, Claire. You're getting really pasty. Stepping out in the sun once in awhile wouldn't kill you." Then, gently poking at James, "And I bet he'd like the beach!"

Claire saw Charlie before he saw her, standing at the edge of the ocean so that the water was just lapping at his toes. For a moment, she felt frozen in time. She forgot about the baby dozing in her arms, she forgot to notice Shannon and Boone leaving to find their things, or to see Sayid move over to negotiate over something or another with Sawyer. All she saw was him and that, at that second, was all she wanted.

Feeling excitement speed up her heart, she angled James so that the sun wouldn't beat directly down on him and hurried towards Charlie, her feet sliding this way and that in the sand. She had tried denying how her heart quickened in his presence; tried writing it off as just another part of her post traumatic stress, as a need for dependency or something equally psychological. But sometimes she couldn't deny it; couldn't ignore how happy she felt just to be around him.

He heard her just before she reached him. Turning around, he smiled at the vision she created. Without knowing any details, he thought everything about it would be just perfect. A sunny looking mother with her brand new baby, her mouth turned up in a real smile- the untainted kind she reserved now only for him and her son. The rush of feeling that hit him left him rather off balance and shaken but he wouldn't give it up for anything. Even though he wanted to gag at the cheesiness of it all, he felt his own smile grow.

The closer she got, however, the more his ideal picture of her darkened. Bags shadowed her eyes and they were puffy from lack of sleep. She was holding her son a little too tightly and he would have been a fool to miss how her gaze was darting this way and that.

His was too because, when push came to shove, Charlie _did_ know all the details. His neck still bore the marks of how well he knew them. It tingled when he thought about it but did nothing in comparison to the pain in his heart at the thought of what _she _had been through. He knew Sayid had felled Ethan with a lethal blow but he knew- _sensed_- that it was nowhere near over. Something was different about her baby and whatever it was, somebody had made a plan to have it. He wasn't dumb enough to think that the mysterious "they" included only Ethan. He knew they would try again.

Shuddering at the direction of his thoughts, he closed the distance between them and snapped, "How did you get down here?"

Claire's smile faltered a little at his tone and he immediately kicked himself.

_Always the bloody idiot_, he thought derisively. _Just ram your foot a little bit further into your mouth. Make sure you can really taste the sodding sand._

Taking her arm, he amended, "Didn't mean it like that. My mouth always is running off on me. You know I'm chuffed to see you do here. Let's take the little one and go over there in the shade, how about?"

She nodded and gave him a brave smile, letting him lead her to the edge of the trees where they could still sit in the sand but be out of the sun. They sat down together and Claire settled James down on the scrap of blanket she'd brought. She caught Charlie gazing fondly at her son and sighed. Tapping his arm, she vaguely motioned towards Shannon, Boone, and Sayid.

"You came down there with them?" he guessed. At her nod, he questioned softly, "How was the walk? Are you alright?"

She bit her lip and made a so-so motion with her hand. She wanted to convey how she had watched for the others at every turn in the path, how she had almost frozen in fear crossing the clearing where she and Charlie had been taken, but she didn't have the gestures for that. All she could do was moan in frustration.

He arched an eyebrow at her and she realized irritably that she was going to have to explain. She touched her throat repetitively for a few seconds before pointing at Shannon.

"You have something to say to Shannon?" A brief hesitation followed by a negative head movement. "Shannon said something to you?" Her head shook harder. "You want to talk to Shannon?"

Claire paused and then nodded slowly. Close enough, she figured.

"Well, you tell me then, how about? Sure between the two of us we can get it all sorted out."

Or not close enough again. She shook her head.

"Not Shannon?"

She shook her head again, but this time motioned to the rest of the beach. She pointed towards the caves. She brushed a hand against James's downy hair and then, blushing a little, placed her hand over Charlie's heart.

He stared at it for awhile, so pale and soft against his shirt but so warm and vital at the same time. She could feel his heart pounding against her palm and found herself absurdly fascinated by it.

"You want to _talk_, period," he concluded quietly, lifting his gaze to her face.

Her chin dipped slightly and her lips parted in the barest hint of a smile. Then their eyes met and she was lost. She thought she knew of love. She _had _loved Thomas but suddenly that seemed pale in comparison. Lacking somehow, and all because Thomas had never once gazed at her with such open honesty. She saw everything in Charlie, could read him like a book, and in that moment she saw nothing but affection. Maybe not love, exactly, but definitely the beginnings of… something. His eyes dropped to her lips and she sucked in a breath. Finally, she thought.

If Claire was impatient to be kissed, Charlie was well beyond that. He had known since he'd met her that she was special but he had never really realized how _much_ he liked her until she wasn't around. He didn't like to think of those three weeks; didn't like to dwell on the pain he'd felt. He had nothing to compare it to. Thinking she had died, and because of _him_, had been worse than anything he'd ever faced, even heroin. When she'd appeared out of that bloody bunker in Sayid's arms, he had thanked the Lord for the first time in years. Thanked Him with a desperate sincerity he'd never felt before.

So, really, he thought, Claire had no idea what it was like to want to kiss someone.

With a trembling hand, he reached up to cup her cheek. Let the softness of her hair drift over and through his fingers. Then, he leaned towards her. She felt his breath tickle her lips and closed her eyes in anticipation.

His kiss never came. Instead, James awoke with a loud bellow.

"Oh bloody hell!" he swore, jerking back.

Claire felt her cheeks flame and quickly busied herself comforting her son. Being a cheerful baby by nature, it did not take long but it was long enough to kill the moment. Feeling the need to make amends, she bounced her son in her arms over in the direction of Charlie.

He smiled down at the baby- and what an adorable little tyke he was, too- and took him out of Claire's arms. With mock severity, he told the infant, "You have the worst possible timing, kid! Interrupting your mummy and Uncle Charlie like that! _When_ is she going to teach you some manners? You need those, yeah?" Then, he twisted and scrunched his face until James cooed up at him in avid entertained interested.

_He likes you,_ Claire wanted to say. _Because you're good with him. Because you're good with _us.

He looked over at her and, to her complete and utter horror, she felt herself go teary.

"Hey now, none of that! Want to go upsetting James again? You know he hates to see Mummy anything but happy."

She tried to smile but failed. How could she be happy, really, when every moment of her day was filled with such a terrible uncertainty? When she couldn't even _express_ that, or sing her son the lullabies she really wanted to?

Charlie seemed to read her thoughts because he said, "We'll get you speaking again, Claire. You and me. We'll find a way."

His optimism was catching and inspired a positive jerk of her head.

Encouraged, he directed his gaze back to James and said, "You know what Mummy's going to say when she gets better?" He waited an obligatory moment for a reply then, batting his eyes, he added in a high pitched feminine tone, "Oh, _Chahlie_! You are so good with the kiddies, you handsome devil, you!"

She snorted and swatted at his arm but couldn't help the soundless giggle that escaped her lips.

Serious again, he caught her hand in his own and vowed, "I promise, Claire. We're going to fix this."

There on the beach with his hand entwined in her own and her son blinking up at them, she could almost believe it. She could almost believe Charlie- and she did _not_ say Chahlie- could fix anything.


	3. I'm Weary Of Being Alone

Title: An Unending Quiet  
Author: Edith  
Part: 3/?  
Rating: This chapter is rated R. :)   
Pairing: Charlie/Claire, with implied Shannon/Sawyer and Jack/Kate  
Summary: Claire comes back broken and Charlie will do anything to keep her and the baby safe... even if it means leaving the island.  
Spoilers: Up to "All The Best..." and then it's just speculation.   
Disclaimer: Sadly, not mine. Otherwise, Lost would have a lot more sex. ;) Also borrowed the song "I Wish I Had Someone To Love Me" by The Masterless Men.

**Part Three: I'm Weary Of Being Alone**

Charlie and Claire didn't learn sign language so much as they invented it. Time stretched before them endlessly and Charlie figured this was a good thing because things like grammar were a bloody bitch to turn into movement.

Their language was surprisingly simple, nothing more than a group of familiar gestures. Some of them doubled for each other, out of necessity. A thumbs up, for example, could be used to state when something was good, fair, alright, or anything positive. They had no use for words like "it" and skipped them entirely while speaking. The sex of a person could be demonstrated merely through pointing, or personal indication.

Names were harder. It started off simple enough, with Claire miming the first letter of each, only they had repeats. Then second letters were brought in and, if that still wasn't enough, third.

It was the sign for Charlie that was his personal favourite. It had been Claire's idea. Sitting by the fire, she had glanced at him with a sweet shyness, formed a heart out of both of her hands, and had then laid them gently against her left breast. Charlie had blushed so red that his ears had been discoloured for what felt like hours. He had shaken his head and looked at his feet, dismissing it with a humbled appreciation, but that night the music he'd played around the fire had been lighter and softer. They had exchanged a look across the flame and her gentle smile seemed imprinted on his mind.

Their language was their own, however. Out of necessity, Claire had taught basic words to Jack, with Charlie's help, and Kate as an afterthought. Short of holding a big meeting around the fire, showing everybody else seemed little more than a bother.

Plus, it was rapidly turning out that Claire's silence had its benefits. While everybody had first been apprehensive of her, the camp soon found her an excellent talking companion, mainly because all she could do was listen. This annoyed Claire at first, but she had never been one to pass up the chance to hear some good gossip.

Kate had come to her first, mainly to check on her and the baby, or so she said. After fussing over James for a few minutes, she had confessed to having found herself in a bit of confusion over Sayid and Jack. Claire could only nod, understanding the situation just fine. She would have had to been blind not to notice that both men were attractive. She would have to have been dumb to note how little their conventional good looks effected her.

Sun had been next and Claire enjoyed her immensely. They had both sat in companionable silence, comfortable in the quiet. Sun had shown her techniques to comfort James and had left her with some herbs she indicated could brew a tasty tea. Claire had shared them with Charlie that night over supper.

Despite her initial unfriendliness, it was Shannon who became her most frequent visitor and, surprisingly, not just to talk. She seemed to harbour a genuine affection for James and could play with him happily for hours. Under Claire's questioning and slightly shocked look, Shannon had confessed to having a great love of children. "Wasn't always a bitch, you know," she'd laughed, blushing a little.

But it was Charlie who Claire liked to hear the most. He would come and sit with her once everybody else was asleep, cuddling in her cave for a late night visit. She wanted him to stay there; couldn't see the point in him coming in to talk with her at all hours of the night only to leave to sleep twenty feet away, but she didn't have the signs- or apparently the guts- to ask him herself.

He would talk until she slept, personal stories told in his familiar deep and scratchy voice. She loved his accent; had always been partial to English tones. In the darkness, he didn't hold back. Any initial fear he might have had over her reaction to his past disappeared in light of everything they'd been through.

She talked back as best she could, letting him read bits of her journal when words failed her. It was through this simple method that she came to know Charlie Pace and vice versa.

Slowly, tentatively, Claire found happiness again, even though it was tainted by the never ending fear that it was, quite simply, too good to be true.

If there was one thing that Charlie hated about being stuck on an island (and it was hard to pick one thing, almost impossibly so) it was gathering fronds to stuff into the bedding. Normally, this could be done quite simply by one person who would scavenge around gathering fallen leaves, but today, Hurley had decided it would be more prudent to climb up the palm trees and get them by hand. Now, Charlie was sure this _was_ prudent if one was the lucky bugger catching them as they fell, but he couldn't see anything useful at all if one happened to be the person climbing the palm tree.

Locking his thighs and his free arm tightly around the trunk of the tree, he leaned out precariously and began to hack at a frond with the knife he had clenched in his free hand. After a few minutes, his whole body was aching with the strain of clinging to the tree and the bloody branch wasn't even half chopped off.

"Hurley!" Charlie shouted down, "This is quite possibly the _worst_ idea you've _ever_ had! For future reference, leave the planning stuff to Jack. You're much better at amusing everybody than coming up with logical ideas."

Hurley, who had been leisurely surveying the beach, smirked up at him. "Dude, not to disagree with you or anything, but _I_ am amused."

"Ha bloody ha," Charlie sniped, swinging again at the branch. He lost his footing a little and lurched forward, legs tightening further still. He felt the rough bark against his bare skin where his pants must have bunched up and grimaced. Amusing indeed.

Before he could open his mouth to comment further, a rustling in the trees interrupted him and Claire emerged, baby tucked safely in her arms, followed by Sawyer and Shannon, of all people. A little thrill began in his stomach at seeing her, out and about and tentatively happy.

"Enter the lady love," Hurley commented dryly, snapping his fingers to catch Charlie's attention, "Don't think you're off the hook now. Keep chopping."

He rolled his eyes at this but began again, adding a whole new vigor to his product. He caught Claire's gaze once and nearly chopped off his hand. He gave her a little wave with his knife and she waved back, making James waggle his arm as well. Charlie smiled again, pleased to be caught doing something as manly as hacking up trees. Humming "Another One Bites the Dust" under his breath, he took a couple more swings and brought down not one but two fronds.

"That's good enough," he decided, shimmying down the tree. When Hurley looked up in surprise, he added, "We're getting them off the ground now. Your idea just isn't sound, mate."

Together, they continued this awhile until it became very clear to Hurley that Charlie was spending twice as much time watching Claire as he was actually working.

"A little help?" he reminded.

"Eh?" Charlie echoed, distracted, "She's really something, isn't she, Hurl?"

"Don't know what she's doing hanging out with the Queen Bitch."

Charlie shrugged at this. "Shannon comes and sees her a lot. They're practically best mates."

Hurley thought Claire could do better but kept mum on the idea. Standing up, he gave Charlie a slight shove in their direction and said, "Dude, go to her."

Charlie didn't have to be told twice. Smiling thankfully at his friend, he loped across the beach, feet sliding in the sand as he went. When he reached their spot where they were sitting in the shade, he called out a hearty, "Hello, ladies!"

_Hello, Charlie_, Claire signed and he felt a wonderful constriction in his throat at the gesture. They smiled at each other for what seemed like forever, until Shannon interrupted it by standing up and kissing James loudly on the head.

"Well, I'm off," she said, "Can tell when I'm not wanted. I'm going to go see where Sawyer wandered off to. Want me to come get you when I go back to the caves?"

Claire shook her head and pointed at Charlie. Shannon sighed good-naturedly and then she was gone, hips swaying as she moved. Charlie watched, innocently wondering why the sight did so little for him, until Claire poked his arm. Something akin to jealousy flashed in her eyes but then she was smiling at him again.

_We came out for sun,_ she told him.

"It is a nice day," he said, "Even better if I wasn't being used for slave labour."

She snorted at this. Then, _Shannon likes Sawyer._

Charlie's weakness for gossip was just as large as hers, even if he would never admit it. Leaning forward, he scooped the baby out of her arms and said, "No!" on a whoosh of breath. Claire nodded solemnly.

"She told you?" he asked, laughing, "Doesn't seem like the sort of bird to advertise."

_No._ She tried to say that Shannon had hinted but gestures failed her. Instead, she signed _Sawyer_ and batted her eyes like crazy, leaning towards him so that her upper arms pushed her breasts together. Charlie swallowed at the sight of so much creamy cleavage and he felt his hand begin to twitch under the weight of her son's head. Claire noticed the direction of his gaze and blushed prettily, smiling even as she tugged up her tank top.

"Don't let anybody ever tell you that pregnancy doesn't have its advantages," he said wisely, refusing to shift his gaze until he saw her hands move in dialogue.

_A baby?_ she guessed.

"Well, of course, but I meant more so in the bosom department."

She snorted but humoured him by moving forward again. This time she wiggled her shoulders a little in a move a friend at home had taught her from belly dancing and dissolved into soundless giggles when his eyes grew wide. So obvious was her Charlie, but so wonderful too. When she sat back normally, she sat straighter and the smile she sent him was flattered.

"Didn't know you could dance, love."

She nodded, making her hair bounce. Feeling giddy for the first time in days, she stood up in the sand and proceeded to run through a quick tap routine she'd learned years ago. Tap had never been her forte (she had taken it almost entirely as a ditch effort to please her mum) and the sand worked against her, making even the best of her ball changes awkward.

Charlie chuckled at her, clapping his hand against his leg for music, until she motioned for him to put James down and join her. He did just that, jumping up and catching her hands. Together, they destroyed the polka before moving on to massacre the waltz.

Pulling her close to him, he hummed loudly as his hand settled against her lower back. She was shaking with suppressed laughter but somehow her hand found his shoulder. He felt warm from the sun and he smelt like work but together it culminated in the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen: life. The way the light worked in his eyes, the angle of his mouth as he smiled…

Claire wasn't aware she'd stopped moving until Charlie tripped on her feet. He stopped as well, observing her as she had him. Her eyes were lined from lack of sleep but they were shining for the first time in weeks. Her grin was so pure, so beautiful, so meant for him and…

The feel of her hand on his cheek gave him pause. Gently, her fingertips explored his cheeks, brushing along the stubble they found there. She traced his lips softly and then ran the tips of her nails over his cheekbones. He sucked in a breath. So did she.

Time stood still. The need for words fell away. He became aware gradually that Claire was learning him with her fingers, lest they ever be separated again, and he couldn't help but join her. Tangling his left hand in her hair, his right found the curve of her waist; traced slowly up to her neck. He could feel her pulse beating there, steady and firm against his palm, and it was too much.

"Claire," he murmured but she was shaking her head at him, an incessant _no, no, no_. "No, what?"

No words, she thought, trapped without a way to express it. And then she found one, presented to her as clear as day. Smiling a little, she placed both of her hands on his cheeks and then she kissed him.

Charlie was so surprised he forgot to kiss her back for a good few seconds. Her lips, however, were too warm and supple for that to be a problem for long. When he came to his senses and wrapped his arms around her, she sighed a little into his mouth, all yielding and precious. He took advantage of this, allowing himself to taste her at last. He was not disappointed because Claire tasted like home.

Her kiss was timid but generous and she was quick to learn that Charlie had picked up a few things while being a rock god. To deny his skill would be pure stupidity, and she was not stupid. His tongue found hers and twined with it deftly and she found herself sighing again, while pressing herself closer.

A loud ahem from behind them drove them apart. Jumping away from Charlie, Claire felt her cheeks light up. She left Charlie to greet whoever it was on his own, choosing to make a big fuss about picking her son up.

Their untimely visitor turned out to be Rose, who looked just as awkward as Claire felt. Charlie didn't feel uncomfortable at all. He was too annoyed by their interruption to be embarrassed. In fact, he wanted Rose to hurry up and leave, baby in tow, mainly so he could drag Claire off into the woods and have his merry way with her.

"Hey, Rose," he said, trying not to sound as irritated as he felt. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair.

Rose had a twinkle in her eye when she said, "Jack wanted to see Claire but I think he can wait. Looks like the two of you were having more fun here."

Charlie laughed and Claire made an embarrassed little noise that wasn't quite a moan. Reaching for her, he told Rose, "As a matter of a fact, we were having a good bit of fun. If you wouldn't mind telling Jack-"

But Claire was shaking her head no again, only this time it wasn't in a kiss me, you fool kind of way.

_Later_, she mimed, before taking Charlie's hand and pulling him across the sand in the direction of the path. Because it seemed natural to do so, Charlie once again took her son and, with him cuddled against his shoulder, followed Claire.

Later indeed. If later meant the exact second that she finished with Jack.

Claire was still shaking her head as she walked, so flustered that at first she hardly noticed it. She looked at Charlie and Rose but both of them seemed unbothered. Warily now, she glanced about her into the trees, trying to see whatever it was that was giving her this feeling.

Nothing gazed back at her but tropical forest. She told herself there was nothing foreboding; that everything facing her was beautiful. She replayed the kiss in her head but the nagging feeling of being watched wouldn't go away. Tugging at Charlie's hand, she tried to hurry his pace, both dismayed and scared as the light of her afternoon fizzled before going out.

_The cot beneath her back was hard and unyielding, completely unfit for a woman as pregnant as she. Claire knew it was homemade, constructed from materials They had found on the island, and the very fact that They had fashioned it made her want to burn it._

_Ethan was sitting across the room, watching her. There was nothing new in this, nor in the way that the now familiar shivers ran up and down her back. She panicked but this wasn't any different either. The bonds still held her wrists and ankles in place and all of her struggles against them had proved to be fruitless thus far. _

_In keeping with tradition, Claire asked, "Where's Charlie? What have you done with Charlie?"_

_Ethan merely smiled at her, that empty horrible expression that turned her stomach and made the bile rise in her throat. Panic rose up in her again, this time very real. It overpowered everything in her, even her fear at giving birth here in this strange place with these evil people._

"_Where's Charlie?" and this time it was a shout._

"_You're impatient, Claire," Ethan said, his voice so level and even that it made Claire want to scream even more, "I told you. You'll see Charlie again, after you give us the baby."_

"_NO!" she screamed, thrashing against her bonds again. She wanted to put her hands on her stomach, to comfort the child, but first she wanted to kill him. She'd snap this bloody bed into pieces and ram one straight through his hurt before they'd touch her baby- before they'd hurt Charlie. She knew the baby would come soon and, through sheer willpower, she tried to stop it._

"_Oh, but the answer is yes, Claire."_

_Anger welled up inside of her. Bitter hate flooded through her veins. In the only defense she could think of, she pulled back her head and spit at him. It landed against his cheek with a sickening plop and she knew a moment's satisfaction as she watched him wipe at it._

_The slap across her face ended that and then Ethan was smiling again. Leaning so close that his breath tickled foully against her cheek, he murmured, "You want to know what happened to Charlie, you impudent bitch?"_

_Suddenly she didn't. Clamping her eyes shut, she bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. _

_He shook her chin until she opened them again and then coolly told her, "We hung him. Left him tangling for your friends to find."_

_She whimpered, "No."_

"_Oh yes, Claire. And it wasn't quick. He died for you, alright, but his neck didn't snap. I'd say it took a good half an hour for your friend to die. You should have heard him moan!"_

_It didn't take half an hour for Claire to die. Her death came within seconds. The bitterness inside of her exploded, leaving nothing in its wake but a cool and empty certainty. Her eyes didn't flood and she didn't cry out. Instead, everything left within her withered and disappeared until she was a vacant shell._

_The last statement she managed to say before her voice went as well was a softly whispered, "I hate you."_

She awoke with a start and, in her panic, could not separate dream from reality. She _knew_ somewhere in her tangled jargon of thought that Charlie was by the fire, probably sleeping, but all she could hear was Ethan and-

_Oh God, Charlie!_

She tried to stand but her feet caught up in her blanket and she came down hard. On her hands and knees, she crawled to the exit of her nook, mewling like a wild thing. From his cozy pile of blankets, James joined in the cacophony of her creation but Claire did not hear him. She knew he was fine and it was Charlie she had to get to.

Jack appeared at the entrance to her hovel, awoken as much by the bang of her fall as the horrible death keen she was making, and was immediately at her side.

"Claire! Claire! What's wrong?" he shouted over her hysteria, "What happened? Are you alright?"

She clawed his hands off of her shoulders and formed the sign for Charlie. She tried and tried, making her fingers shape a heart almost violently, until she realized that somehow she had forgotten to teach him that sign. She tried to speak, forcing out hiccups of air that made her lungs burn. Her tears turned bitter and, desperate, she pointed at the exit, urging him to go to fire and save Charlie.

And then _he_ was there, pushing past Jack to kneel before her. Roughly, he cupped her face and forced her to look at him.

"Claire!" he shouted, panic rising in his voice, "Claire! Claire, love, it's me! It's Charlie!"

She did not believe it. Ethan had _told_ her, she had heard, and yet-

His hands felt so warm. His eyes looked real, worried and damp, but familiar all the same.

Gasping for air, she brought her own hands up, felt the moisture on his cheeks against her palm.

She fell apart. Moaning, she flung herself at him. He caught her and pulled her to him tightly.

"I've got her, Jack," he said roughly. Then, sincerely, "Thanks."

Claire did not notice him leave. Her mind barely registered her son's now sleepy silence. Her eyes lit on the scarring on his neck and she pressed her mouth there, tongue darting out to flicker against his pulse point. He was so alive and he tasted like the moonlight and like _Charlie_.

She felt him shudder and murmur her name in confusion, but she was tired of words. She wanted actions, emotions, and him. Their kiss on the beach paled in comparison to what she wanted. She was desperate. She was needy. She was mad for him.

Breathing heavily, Claire lavished his jaw line with kisses; pushed at the material of his shirt with a frantic greediness.

Whatever she felt, he was right there with her. He let her remove his shirt and made quick work of hers. Pulling back a little, he examined her in the darkness of the caves. She was perfection, he thought, a canvas of pale beauty. He watched her breasts rise and fall in time with her anxious breathing, so high and delightfully rounded. He raised his thumb to trace against the moonlit trail across her nipple and then down over the softness of her stomach.

Charlie did not see her stretch marks. He did not see how thin she'd gotten living off the island.Charlie looked at Claire and saw life. Redemption.

_Love._

He was not sure which one of them moved but they were together again, the force of their embrace toppling them over backwards. Charlie softened their fall by stopping his weight with his hands. Gently, he lowered himself over her, moaning a little as bare skin met bare skin. Finding his weight a welcome press, Claire sighed too, pulling back enough so that she could speak to him.

She forget everything when his eyes met hers. Weakly, she signed, _Charlie._

He leaned his forehead against hers and murmured, "Claire."

Then he was kissing her and she _knew_ he had spent weeks wondering if she was dead as well by its sheer intensity. The emotions behind it caused tears to prick at her eyelids and she clung to him, trying to get closer. She rubbed his back and pushed with her palms, rejoicing simply in the feel of him.

His hands found her breasts as his mouth melded with hers. He covered them; possessed them. Tentatively, he tested their weight and then his talented fingers were dancing in circles over her nipples. She sucked in a gasp as the calluses on the tips of his fingers scratched against the smoothness of her skin and, if she could have found her voice, she knew she would be muttering his name.

Desperately, she wrapped her legs around him, trapping his body between her thighs. Gasping, she moved wantonly against him. She felt him respond to her; heard him groan her name, his voice hoarse with the effort to be quiet.

His hands left her breasts, leaving a burning trail down her stomach as they moved lower. He caught the hem of her pajamas and her pants were gone in one tug. Still he traveled lower and when he arrived, they shared a moan.

He caught her gasp in his mouth and Claire was lost. He touched her reverently, played her like the finest instrument as he brushed his fingers teasingly over where she wanted him to touch her the most.

"You feel so good," he whispered against her hair, "So bloody good to me, Claire."

If she felt good to him, he felt _amazing_ to her. A familiar coil had begun to twist in her belly, low, warm, and utterly delicious. Only it wasn't nearly enough. She didn't want it to happen like this, so separate and apart from him. She wanted him inside of her- _needed_ him to be a part of her. Biting her lip against the rising tide of pleasure, she pushed him back enough so that she could attack the buttons on his pants; to make her intentions clear lest he have any doubt. Moving up to his knees, he gawked down at her, his eyes comically wide and bright against the darkness.

"Claire," he began, wondering what sort of prat would actually _protest_ this, "We don't have to do this. I know you're in a bit of a-a state right now and there are other ways. Lots and lots of other ways."

He would die if she denied him, he thought, shifting a little uncomfortably.

Claire shook her head almost violently, leaning up enough to rain kisses down his torso. She stopped at the dark line of hair that tapered mysteriously down into his unbuttoned pants. Catching her fingers in his belt loops, she grinned impishly up at him.

Charlie swallowed and met her gaze. His mouth went dry. He fought to get a grip on himself. He was a _rock god_! Hundreds of perfect women had kneeled before him- beautiful birds with a lot more experience than Claire. None, however, had had such a dazzling smile. None of them had smelled like sunshine and survival. He was used to seeing adoration and drunken lust but he had never seen _love_. Funny how he could still recognize it.

"Claire," he said, his voice strangled.

Sighing a little, she fell away.

_Charlie_, her hands said, and that sign was almost his undoing, so much more enticing when she was naked. He swallowed. _What's wrong?_

What _was_ wrong? He sat down beside her and pulled her up against his side. She went willingly, even though her bravado was beginning to give way to a hurt sort of confusion. Of course Charlie, the bassist of bloody DriveShaft, didn't want her as much as she wanted him. No surprise, really. Why would the celebrity want the walking stretch mark? She'd seen it coming, even.

God, though, but it still hurt.

_It's okay,_ she said bravely, _I see and it's okay. I want to sleep now._

Charlie gawked at her; stared at her like she was the worst kind of fool. Her pride took the hit directly. Then he had the nerve to bark out a laugh. Her eyes flooded.

_Not funny! _she cried, _No laughing! I see!_

He realized his blunder all at once and caught her hands mid sentence.

"Claire! Claire, what's all this, then? I don't think you _do_ see."

She looked confused. He felt himself blush; knew he was probably lighting up the whole sodding cave. In a voice so low she almost missed it, he muttered, "I've never done this like this before."

Then she was gawking in disbelief. And he was babbling.

"Well, I mean, I have. Hundreds of times, with lots and lots of girls. I am practically sex on legs, really!" He laughed, all high pitched and unnatural, before jumping right back into his tirade. "I've got me some funny stories even. There was this one time, I did some acid, right, and I met two girls-"

A squeak from Claire shut him up. Oh God, but wasn't he an arse.

"Alright, never mind that, then. It's a bad story, really." He cleared his throat, loudly. "But, it is my first time like this. I've done a lot of things, Claire, but love isn't one of them and I just don't want to fuck this up."

Apparently, he was a nancy boy as well as an arse. He wondered if their resident monster was up and about, wandering around with a healthy appetite.

The smile that graced her mouth was slow and soft. Blue eyes filled with tears. Trying at humour, she winked at him and said, _I'll be gentle._

Then her mouth found his and she was gentle, indeed. Slowly, she coaxed his lips apart and then he took the lead, tangling his tongue with hers as he lowered her beneath him again.

The fire within them burned just as quickly when rekindled and, while they tried to take it slow, their need for each other worked against them. When his fingers brushed against the apex of her thighs, Claire almost came undone. When her own found him, he groaned almost painfully and had to use everything within him not to end it there and then in a most unsatisfactory way.

Now, Charlie, she urged with her mind, and it seemed as though he heard her. Gazing down into her eyes, he raised her legs so that her thighs once again circled him, and then, in one fluid motion, made him hers.

The pleasure that hit her gave her pause and she felt her eyes grow damp again. Claire was obviously in no way a virgin but, as Charlie rocked tenderly back and forth, she found herself in awe of this one time. Everything about Charlie was different than Thomas, rougher around the edges but genuine at the same time. Her hands fluttered against his back and she pushed her heels into his thighs, loathe to have him leave her.

Charlie was lost and he didn't care if he ever was found. This was Heaven, he decided, pure unadulterated bliss. She was so warm and life giving and _his_. His world was crumbling around him and he had a feeling that picking up the pieces would be the most important experience of his life.

Cupping her face, he whispered all these things to her, watching adoringly as her eyes misted. His own felt teary as well and-

Claire was gasping; mouthing his name as her nails scoured his back and her heels pushed hard against him. She pulled him closer with her arms so that all of her sighs tickled his cheek. Up and up she rose on the tide that was Charlie and then she was falling, softly and wonderfully, back to earth.

Charlie's own climax caught him by surprise and came much sooner than he'd expected. No longer caring about the other residents of the cave, he shouted her name and buried his face in her hair, losing himself inside of her as the scent of hoarded shampoo tickled at his nose.

They laid together for a long time, nose to nose and hand in hand, each struggling to regain their breath. It was Claire who recovered first, laughing soundlessly. Tenderly, she touched at his face and rose up enough to place a kiss on his nose.

He chuckled too and kissing her cheek, said what he'd wanted to say since she'd returned.

"Claire?" he murmured. When she looked at him, he smiled slowly and said, "I love you."

The tears in her eyes flooded over and she was laughing again. Without words, she pushed her palm over his heart and then over her own, again and again until they were both laughing and he was repeating it like a mantra.

She fell asleep listening to it and she knew that Charlie would be there when she woke up. Knew that him coming to stay in her nook was no longer a question of who could get up enough nerve to ask. Her last thought before sleeping as the unequivocal knowledge that now, at least, things were alright.


	4. Meet Me Tonight In The Moonlight

Title: An Unending Quiet  
Author: Edith  
Part: 4/? (I thought four but I was wrong so now who knows!)  
Rating: R  
Pairing: Charlie/Claire, with implied Shannon/Sawyer and Jack/Kate  
Summary: Claire comes back broken and Charlie will do anything to keep her and the baby safe... even if it means leaving the island.  
Spoilers: Up to "All The Best..." and then it's just speculation.  
Disclaimer: Sadly, not mine. Otherwise, Lost would have a lot more sex. ;) Also borrowed the song "I Wish I Had Someone To Love Me" by The Masterless Men

**Part Four: Meet Me Tonight In The Moonlight**

When Charlie first awoke, he had the unpleasant sensation of not knowing exactly where he was. The ever present cackling of the fire was quieter, so he wasn't where he normally slept. The ground underneath him was cooler, even through the blanket he was laying on, and… was that? Yes, that definitely was somebody warm cocooned all around him, somebody who snored ever so softly and was holding his hand in a death grip.

Groggily, he blinked open his eyes and then started in pleasant surprise as the evening came flooding back to him with seductive clarity. Whispery sighs against his cheek, clenching hands, blonde waves cascading all around him, and one pretty pair of lips mouthing his name… Oh, Charlie remembered.

Carefully, so as not to wake to Claire, he reached down and tugged the blanket up farther, making sure to tuck it under her chin. A quick glance over his shoulder ensured that James was fine and was just coming awake with a gurgled "oooh". He smiled at Claire's son tenderly, while pulling her closer. She snuggled in accordingly and he shifted his gaze to her face.

She was so pretty when she slept, he thought. The newly forming lines around her mouth (frown lines, he realized with dismay) disappeared entirely and her lashes looked longer and lighter against her skin. The fact that she snored only endeared her to him further. Smiling stupidly to himself, he leaned down and pressed a kiss against her cheek.

James took that moment to wake up fully, gurgling to get somebody's attention. Before he could start to cry, Charlie was up, disentangling himself from Claire with a practiced ease. He scooped the baby up off of the ground and, shushing him, made his way out of the cave.

Nobody was guarding the entrance to Claire's nook and Charlie wasn't surprised. He was _relieved_, in all truth. While he'd tried his hardest to be quiet, he had never been very good at it and he couldn't blame whoever had decided to call it quits. Thinking on the night before, his smile grew and he affectionately tickled James's stomach, producing a sleepy giggle from the baby.

"He recognizes you," Kate said from her seat with Jack by the fire, causing Charlie to look up in surprise. When he saw who it was, he nodded and moved to sit beside them, bouncing James playfully against his knee.

"You think?" Charlie asked, skeptically, "I mean, there's so many bloody people here. I think the little fellow just likes to take a look around. See what's what, and all that."

Kate shook her head in a disagreement, leaning over to take James from Charlie. She gave him a loud kiss on the cheek, which made him blink at her happily, and then she looked to Jack for back up.

Jack was a willing participant in proving Charlie wrong. "Babies can recognize faces around a month and this little sucker is past that. And, face aside, he knows your voice."

Kate enthusiastically picked up the thread again. "You should see him, Charlie. Doesn't matter who he's with. As soon as he hears you his little neck is craning."

"Oh," said Charlie, blushing when it came out less off-handedly and more like an excited squeak. Trying to regain his cool, he added, "He just likes it when I sing to him. Don't you, James? You just like Uncle Charlie singing."

The fact that David Bowie's "Song For Bob Dylan" was rapidly becoming the baby's favourite lullaby only added to Charlie's pride. The line "give us back our unity; give us back our family" filtered through his head and such a huge feeling of rightness flooded him that he had to look away from his friends to stare at his feet, like the sod he was rapidly becoming.

"So, what are you plans for today?" Kate asked, shifting so that she could cuddle Claire's son to her breast. She missed the fond look Jack sent the both of them but Charlie did not. It made him grin and think of _his _girl, all snuggled up and sleeping.

"Reckoned on moving my stuff in with Claire's," he said casually, praying that his face didn't look as red as it felt. The goofy smile was back and he'd be damned if Kate and Jack couldn't figure out everything that had happened last night. "Thought it would save you lot the trouble of having to stand guard."

"How _is_Claire?" Jack asked, the concern in his voice genuine, "She was pretty worked up last night."

Sober now, Charlie rubbed at the scars on his neck and nodded. "She's better. She's still sleeping. Didn't have the heart to wake her."

"I still wonder what They wanted with such a sweet kid," Kate said.

Charlie vowed, "I'll kill Them before They touch either one of them again."

For awhile, they sat in silence, each contemplating what none of them could answer. Then, Jack cleared his throat.

"It's something we're going to have to think about. We'd be naïve to think They won't come back. Whatever They wanted with James didn't just go away because we snatched him back. I think They were anticipating it, anyway." At Charlie's look of panic, he added, "Come on, Charlie. You have to admit it was pretty easy. We got her out of this _compound_ and we only encountered Ethan? They'll be back."

"What are we supposed to do about it then?" Charlie questioned, the hatred in his voice apparent enough to make James fuss in Kate's arms.

"We thought we'd hold a meeting today. Posting a guard outside Claire's cave is a good start, but we've both fought Them. We need a plan of action. We need to make some decisions."

Charlie nodded, agreeing. "Sounds like a smart thing to do."

Jack and Kate exchanged a look and then Jack said, "We think it would be better if you didn't tell Claire until it was over. No need to get her upset when all we'll be doing is spitting out ideas, anyway. We'll fill her in afterwards. Give her a break."

"Not tell her?" he asked, gawking, "Are you out of your bloody minds? The fucking lunatics are _after _Claire and you think we should keep her in the dark? No way. I'm not doing it. She's the only one who's spent time with them. You'd be daft to exclude her!"

Kate sighed. "How is she supposed to tell us anything, Charlie? It would just upset her and that's the last thing she needs. Just… do this for Claire, okay?"

In that moment, despite the unfairness of it all, he found himself severely disliking the clean cut, take charge twosome. They had underestimated him if they seriously thought he'd keep this from Claire.

And yet… Images of her frown lines filtered through his mind. She looked so happy in sleep and _was _there really any point in scaring her further? If they decided to do something, he'd gladly fill her in but if all they were doing was shooting the shit… Well, Claire needed a chance to recover, not to dredge it all up again. The desperation in her eyes last night had overwhelmed him and he shuddered thinking about it.

Looking at James, Charlie made his decision.

Claire figured it was about three in the afternoon when Shannon and Walt entered her nook with a polite knock against the rock wall. She smiled in welcome at her friends and moved over so that they could sit beside her, taking her sleeping son with her as well.

"Hey Claire," Walt greeted, waving at her. His eyes fixated on the baby and he wasted no time in plopping himself down beside her, shifting the blanket a little so that he could better see James.

She waved back and smiled at him. Shannon noticed her grin and couldn't help but return the gesture. Something about her seemed interestingly different today – happier somehow. More at peace with her surroundings; more relaxed. That didn't make sense at all, she pondered, unless…

Eyes as wide as saucers, Shannon cleared her throat and said, "Walt, you wanna go see if there are any bananas left for us to eat while we're here?"

Walt obviously didn't want to go but he had always been slightly afraid of the biting blonde and so, with a very put out sigh, he said goodbye to James and scampered off.

As soon as he was out of hearing distance, Shannon sat down beside her friend and grabbed her arm. "Oh my God, you got _laid_!"

Claire didn't need to speak. The answer was written plainly across her very crimson face. Smiling good-naturedly, she covered up her baby's ears and brought a horrified finger to her lips.

Shannon giggled. "It took you long enough! I was actually starting to feel sorry for Charlie. I'm kind of surprised he doesn't have some kind of impairment because of you. He doesn't, does he?"

Claire shook her head vehemently and Shannon laughed.

"So did he live up to reputation? How big was it? I'm _dying _for real gossip! Details, Claire!"

Claire tried to look scandalized but failed entirely. All out grinning now, she held up her hand with an enthusiastic thumbs up. Then, she pretended to smoke a cigarette and raised an eyebrow at the other girl.

Shannon squeaked. "Have Sawyer and I? Pfft, yeah right! Like I'd let him touch me!" A pause, then a quietly secretive, "I think he likes Kate."

Claire snorted at this and shook her head, before laying her hand against Shannon's shoulder to indicate that this was not true. Shannon looked at her hand for awhile and was alarmed to find herself feeling… _hopeful_.

Shaking her head to rid herself of this, she stated grouchily, "Walt should hurry. We're supposed to be babysitting him."

Claire's eyebrow went up again, this time in confusion.

"Everybody's having some kind of meeting," Shannon told her casually, "Trying to figure out what to do about… you know. So we are supposed to keep Walt out of the way. No need to scare him."

Claire's look of alarm said it all.

"Oh shit, you didn't know!" Shannon gasped, "I mean, nobody told you? Jack told me to take Walt over here. Just to watch him for a bit and… I'm sorry, Claire." And, she was.

Claire looked away from her friend and felt anger well up within her. This meeting obviously was _about _her and to not be allowed to be a part of it… To be kept in the dark was demeaning. They obviously thought of her as nothing more than a basket case, likely to fall apart at any moment, and how dare they make such big decisions without her?

Then the most hurtful part of the whole thing hit her dead on. _Charlie _had kept this from her! Suddenly it all made sense. He had seemed so guilty bringing in his clothes and other personal things but she had written it off as nerves.

How_dare _he?

Sensing her mood, James chose that moment to act up. She was glad for the distraction; glad to focus on how let down she was. Rocking him a little in her arms, she focused all of her energy on her son and, when Walt returned with the bananas, even made a half hearted attempt to show Shannon and him her secret language. She even laughed in all the right places and the fact that she was seething on the inside really seemed irrelevant anyway.

Claire was so enraged that, once James was settled in, she was tempted to pack up Charlie's things and bring them right back out to the fire. The fact that he was obviously bothered by the decision only galled her more. It had been a good few hours since the covert meeting had ended and he hadn't had the nerve to come see her.

Well, she hoped he'd stay away.

As soon as she thought it, she took it back. Confusion made her head hurt and she leaned against the wall, eyes closed. She wanted to cry but in truth she was too tired. Everything kept coming at her and Charlie's… _betrayal _was the last thing she needed.

A noise by the entrance caught her attention and her eyes flew open. Charlie was before her, skulking or so it seemed by her "doorway." She frowned at him.

"Why the long face?" he asked, and was it her imagination or did he even _sound _guilty?

She glared at him for so long that he started to shift nervously. Looking about himself, he came in and sat across from her, attempting a beguiling smile.

Claire wasn't having it. With her hands, she said _I don't like secrets, Charlie. _

He looked surprised, taken aback even. Laughing nervously, he mumbled, "So you know about everything, I see."

_Why didn't you tell me? _Her eyes were accusing.

Charlie sucked in a breath and looked everywhere but at her. She caught his arm so he'd look at her; so he'd see how much this hurt. She was dismayed to find that she didn't seem to have the energy to hold onto her anger but in its place was pain. She sighed and asked, _Why? _

He took her hand tentatively and sighed himself. He was quiet for a long while, gazing at their interlocked fingers. With his spare hand, he rubbed at a healing scratch on her thumb and said, "I'm sorry, alright?"

_Tell me, Charlie. _

He looked at her then and she was surprised to see that his eyes were filled. She knew hers were as well.

_Why wasn't I… _

"I'm sorry!" he said again, "They told me it was best for you, alright? I didn't want to make you upset again. _They _didn't either. We were going to tell you afterwards if anything got decided and it… it wasn't my bloody idea. I wanted to tell you straight off! But I had to promise that I wouldn't. I did this for you and for James and I… I _wanted _…" A pause. "I fucked it up. I know I did. I'm really quite good at that, Claire, so this is probably going to happen a lot. I just didn't want you to have to worry about anything else."

He sounded so pitiful that even her hurt dissipated some. Gently, she said, _It's my life, too. Mine and James's. _

He nodded and took a shuddering breath. "It's just that I worry about you, is all. I don't want you to have to be here. I want us to be back home, in a nice big house with a whole menagerie of bleedin' animals and lots of kiddies for James to play with. I don't know how to handle this, Claire!"

_With me! _

With that, she put her arms around him and pulled him to her. He laid down and put his head in her lap, flicking distractedly at the locks of blonde hair that fell in his face.

On a deep breath, he said, "They're keeping the guard outside of here. Everybody seems to think this isn't over. They think it was too easy. They're talking about doing perimeter control too. Nothing too fancy, mind. Just somebody taking a stroll a few times a day. Sayid wants to take another gander around the island, this time maybe with Scott or Steve or both." Off Claire's pained look, he added, "Not just cause of you. Because of _all _of us. This island isn't safe, Claire, for anybody."

She saw the pained desperation in his eyes and knew it was mirrored in her own. Guilt at being a burden welled up inside of her. She thought again of the other day, when she had felt watched on the path. It wasn't over, she realized that. It made her tighten her grip on Charlie; made her cling to his idea of a home far away from here. With her free hand, she reached over to her baby in order to feel for herself that he was safe.

He followed her hand with his gaze. "I won't let anything happen to you again, Claire."

She nodded. _I love you, Charlie. _

"And I love you too, ducks," he returned, " _Both _of you. But enough of this, eh? All this gloom and doom is giving me a headache. I can think of something _much _more… fulfilling to do with our time, can't you?"

He wiggled his eyebrows at her so suggestively that she had to laugh, swatting playfully at him. Chuckling, he pulled on her arm until she laid down beside him. When his lips found hers, she gave herself over to him entirely, all too willing to concentrate on something entirely more pleasurable.

Claire knew immediately upon leaving her nook the next morning that something wasn't right. She couldn't place it exactly; couldn't explain it past a horrible feeling that seemed to leak through her whole being. Goosebumps rose on her arms and she felt…

_Watched. _

Anxiously, she looked around the camp, trying to place where it was coming from. People were up and about, as she had known they would be, but none of them were paying special attention to her. Jack and Kate were poking at the fire, oblivious, and Sayid was talking to Rose. She couldn't see Shannon or Sawyer but she found Charlie, piling wood on the outskirts of the clearing with Hurley.

Intuition aflame, she hugged James closer to her breast and tried to shush him when he picked up on her distress. Again, she searched the trees and again she saw nothing.

Her gaze returned to Charlie and she frowned. It was coming from over there, she realized. Whatever it was was lurking somewhere in the foliage just beyond the two men. Instinct propelling her forward, she began to walk towards them. Her heart was pounding and it was _wrong_. She knew with the whole of her being that Charlie had to move.

Had to move _now._

Movement behind him caught her eye and caused her step to falter. She wasn't sure how it was possible; couldn't even start to explain how it had happened without catching anybody else's attention, but he was there, suddenly materializing before her.

For one horrible second, she stilled, gaping in disbelief. He was _dead_! They had told her. Sayid had pistol whipped him and he hadn't had a pulse! It was impossible and it couldn't be happening but it _was_.

There, before her and behind Charlie, stood Ethan Rom, posture erect and wearing that awful serene look that haunted her dreams. Warring instincts flared up inside of her. She had to run, she knew that, had to get James as far away from this monster as possible, had to tell Jack and Sayid and-

Slowly, he raised his finger mockingly to his lips and shushed her, smiling evilly around it. Her breath hitched and then started again, rapid and unnatural. Then he was looking at Charlie and she _knew _this time he wouldn't let Charlie live.

Turn around, she screamed mentally, just turn around and look! Wildly, she whipped her head in the direction of Jack and Sayid and urged them to see, to hear what she couldn't say, before it was too late. She sensed without reason that this time Ethan wasn't alone. She could feel Them staring at her from all angles; staring at her son.

Staring at Charlie.

She knew, too, that there was no way she could reach him in time to save him. Ethan was already reaching behind him, grasping at something, and-_oh God_- it was a blade! He meant to slit Charlie's throat and he _knew _she couldn't speak and-

She opened her mouth, taking a few steps forward and then one back when she remembered the precious being she held in her arms. She tried to speak, whooshing air up through her lungs. Tears sprang to her eyes and why couldn't anybody else see him? Why were they all too involved in their meaningless nothings to stop this? His arm was moving now and Charlie was talking to Hurley and if she couldn't manage to-

The scream that ripped from her throat garnered the attention of everybody. It seemed the whole entire camp turned to face her but that wasn't what she wanted.

"Charlie!" she shouted, her voice hysterical and rusty, "Charlie, behind you!"

And then the frenzy began. From everywhere, it seemed, They emerged from the bushes, swarming them. Somebody grabbed her- was it Locke?- and propelled her towards her nook. She almost lost her footing but that didn't matter because she couldn't see Charlie, but still Locke was pulling at her and Boone had joined him. She felt the wooden end of a blade being shoved in her hand, heard somebody tell her to move, but she fought them, trying her hardest to find Charlie.

It was James's crying that caught her attention in the end; that made her weaken her resistance as Boone pushed her back away from Them, shouting all the while for her to hide.

She came to her senses all at once and, hugging her son tightly, darted into her nook. Locke was behind her and so was Boone. And Charlie…

Crying, Claire clenched her eyes shut and prayed for them all.


	5. Meet Me Tonight All Alone

Title: An Unending Quiet  
Author: Edith  
Part: 5/7  
Rating: R  
Pairing: Charlie/Claire, with implied Shannon/Sawyer and Jack/Kate  
Summary: Claire comes back broken and Charlie will do anything to keep her and the baby safe... even if it means leaving the island.  
Spoilers: Up to "All The Best..." and then it's just speculation.  
Disclaimer: Sadly, not mine. Otherwise, Lost would have a lot more sex. ;) Also borrowed the song "I Wish I Had Someone To Love Me" by The Masterless Men

**Part Five: Meet Me Tonight All Alone**

Their camp looked like a war zone.

Clutching onto Boone's arm for support, Claire made her way out of her nook, baby swaddled tightly to her. She realized in dismay that everything they'd worked so hard to build had been destroyed in that one horrible hour. Their beds- each and every one of their sleeping spaces- had been kicked about and random pieces of clothing littered the area, caught up in branches and made dirty on the ground. People were injured, limping in a line towards Jack, who was sporting a fairly nasty gash on the forehead himself.

"Are They gone?" Claire asked, looking searchingly at Boone.

He nodded. "Every last one of them. I think some of them were pretty banged up too but, then, who can tell?"

Who could tell, indeed. Eyes wide, she searched frantically around the area for Charlie. She didn't see him waiting for Jack's help. She didn't see him by the trees. Feeling panic well up inside of her, she tightened her grip on Boone's arm.

"Where's Charlie?"

Boone opened his mouth to reply but another voice beat him to it.

"I'm right here, love."

She whipped around and cried out upon seeing him well and alive. Disentangling herself from Boone, she flung herself at him, falling into the embrace he offered. Being careful not to squish her son, she pressed her cheek against the rough fabric of his t-shirt and inhaled over and over the unique smell that was Charlie.

"Oh, Charlie!" she gasped, clinging to him.

He swallowed hard and looked over her head off at nothing. Separating from her a little, he leaned forward so that they were nose to nose and whispered past the undeniable lump in his throat, "Say it again, Claire."

She smiled at him, just a hint of upturned lips but there all the same.

"Charlie," she said, and then she was up against him again.

He closed his eyes, lost in the moment. Everything around him disappeared. The shouting, the crying, and the danger they all knew they were still in fell away until there was nothing left but a warm hand on his back, damp tears against his shoulder, and the gentle softness of a baby pressed against his chest. He savored it tentatively, pressing his cheek to her hair and adding his own hand to her son. His knuckles brushed hers and then both of them were feeling the miracle of James's breathing.

Then it was over.

Moving away from him but not breaking contact entirely, Claire asked, "How did you get away? I saw Ethan and I-"

He cut her off, holding up an already bandaged hand with a boyish look of pride. "Smashed him a facer. Bloody teeth went right in. It was pretty gruesome."

She snatched at his wounded appendage and placed it to her lips. "Thank God you're alright."

"Thank God _you're_ alright! Leave me out of this! And the little whippersnapper too. We were so damn lucky, Claire. And what's this, eh? You with the vocal chords?"

She smirked a little and was about to reply when a shout from behind them interrupted her. Out of instinct, Charlie moved closer and wrapped his arm protectively around Claire and the baby. As a group, they whipped around to face the commotion.

Sun was standing with her husband, shouting in frantic Korean and very obviously bordering on hysteria. Jin seemed to be yelling at everybody else and was trying to move his wife behind him. For a brief second, Claire thought that Jin had finally snapped but it would have been impossible to miss the panic etched across his features.

Breaking free of Charlie, Claire rushed over to Sun and tried to hold onto her hand in comfort. This seemed to agitate Sun further as the other woman slapped at her hands before screaming and pointing at her repeatedly. Taken aback, Claire moved away and sent Charlie a confused look.

It was Jack who joined them next. "Sun!" he said firmly, "Are you hurt? Show me what's the matter!" When she continued to wail, he turned his gaze to Jin almost desperately. "Is she hurt? What's wrong?"

Then Kate was there as well and between the two of them, they managed to get Sun to sit down, although Jin refused to leave her side.

Through the pandemonium, the pieces began to fall together in Claire's head. She watched as Kate stroked Sun's arm; as Jack tried with gestures to communicate with Jin. She looked at the faces of the rest of the onlookers as they hovered around, obviously curious about what had happened despite any real desire to know.

Claire was one step ahead of them. She _already_ knew. Snippets of images flew through her mind: Charlie's calloused fingers being torn from her grip, Ethan's sardonic laugh at her panic, and the Whispers of procreation she had heard while in captivity. Something she had always suspected was thrust to the forefront of her mind and she gasped.

"I thought They wanted James," she murmured, so quietly that Charlie barely heard her, "I thought that was all They wanted."

"What's this, then, Claire?" Charlie asked.

He moved to stand in front of her and placed his hands on her arms. She blinked up at him, looking as though she had just woken up from a very deep sleep. Shaking her head a little to clear it, she shifted the weight of her baby and stepped away from Charlie to stand within Jack's line of vision.

Apparently there was a lot to be said about being a quiet presence. Something about the look on her face must have caught Sun's attention because she had stopped crying and was all out staring at the woman who had become one of her best friends. Sayid and Locke stopped shifting through the remains of their camp, Boone and Shannon ceased their bickering, and even Sawyer, caught up at the caves in a foiled attempt to get water, exchanged his look of casual indifference to one of cautious curiosity.

"Good to see you're speaking again," Jack said, with an encouraging smile, "Have you remembered something?"

Claire glanced at Charlie for reassurance, which he offered with a supportive smile.

"Not exactly," she began, fixing her gaze on Sun's terrified features, "I didn't remember so much as… _put it together._ Somebody told me something in Australia about my baby and when Ethan took me, I thought that he… knew about it somehow. It never occurred to me that They wanted something _other_ than my baby. But that obviously isn't it. Or the whole of it anyway."

Carefully, so as not to frighten the other woman farther, she passed her son to Charlie and squatted before Sun. Gently, she took her hands in hers and said, "They tried to take you, didn't They?"

Whether it was her time spent among so many English speaking people or if there was more to Sun than met the eye, Claire didn't know. She did know, however, that she seemed to understand. Gasping, Sun looked away, turning her face into Jin's shoulder. He held onto her tightly and looked for all the world like he might cry.

"They want women," Kate summed up, covering her mouth with her hand. "Those sick bastards need to introduce new genes. They want to _breed _us."

"And with the Virgin Mary ready to pop at the time, why bother with those pesky nine months?" Sawyer put in, moving to stand closer to the crowd.

Claire looked away in disgust and returned to Charlie. When he put his arm around her, she didn't make an attempt to move away. Instead, she snuggled in closer, wrapping her own arms around him and the baby. Part of her felt that if she just shut her eyes and clung to the two people that mattered the most to her, everything else would just magically go away.

"So then They've declared war," Jack announced, standing, "We've got some of the best minds on the island. A Republican guard, a doctor, a warrior, enough brawn to put up a real fight, and well… _Locke_." He paused, eyes locked on Kate. "They didn't get what they wanted today. I say They can bring it on."

* * *

Sawyer was a creature of habit. He had made himself a home and a business on the beach and he had no real inclination to share it with anybody, until the morning when they had almost lost everything. He was a smart man, as a con man he'd _had_ to be, so it wasn't too hard for him to put two and two together in order to realize that if all the women were snatched, his business might suffer, let alone the fact that another fight like the one he'd just endured would put his own well being at risk.

He told himself that those were the only two reasons he was about to do what he planned on. It wasn't hard to convince himself of that- he'd made a real practice of being calculated and self-serving- but he would be lying if Shannon's screams hadn't played a part. Whenever he closed his eyes the image of her, surrounded by violence and yelling her fool head off, haunted him. He could tell himself he wasn't worried about her until hell froze over but that wouldn't change a damn thing.

Kate had called him an outcast but Shannon didn't treat him like one. She made a point of visiting him every time occasion brought her to the beach and, while he might act like it irritated the hell out of him, Sawyer knew he would miss her more than he should if They got her.

He had been worried about Claire, he felt for Sun, but if They dared to threaten his woman, there would be hell to pay.

Which was why he had promptly returned to his shelter after the little sharing session up at the caves to dig through his stash.

If memory served him correctly (and it did, because Sawyer remembered everything), Sayid had been planning on doing another sweep of the island before their own personal battle had begun. It had been Charlie who had put the idea in his head. He hadn't been eavesdropping exactly but it would have been nearly impossible to miss his casual remark of, "What are we supposed to do? _Leave_ the island?" Sawyer had thought the idea beyond stupid until he really started to think on it.

Fingers lighting on a smooth case at the bottom of his pile, Sawyer pulled out his prized possession and rose. He paused to grab a pack of cigarettes- his third last- and then started back to the caves, telescope held firmly under his arm.

A Republican guard, a doctor, a warrior, enough brawn to put a real fight… Well, they were going to get the con man too and they could all line up to kiss his ass if they had a problem with it. If Sayid was going to go scouting, he'd need him.


End file.
